Summit K-12 parents met with district Superintendent Joseph Olchefske to voice their outrage over proposals to move their school to The old Wilson-Pacific Middle school. A group of Summit parents and teachers met on Dec. 4 to explain their desire to keep their school and to review possible solutions to the overcrowding of several North End middle schools.

 To many of the parents the plan neglects the important fact that the Jane Addams building is already occupied by Seattle School District students. Each morning at 9 o'clock, 620 students from every neighborhood in the city converge on the North Seattle building. For a city that prides itself on its cultural and ethnic diversity the school is a shining star. Here children of all backgrounds find acceptance, friendship and a quality education.

 Summit families and teachers are also dismayed that the hours of donated labor and thousands of dollars which they have poured into school site improvements could be stripped away by a group of middle school parents wanting to reappropriate the building for their own children.

 The Summit community, as they call themselves, has a high rate of volunteerism. It is common to see crews of parents, teachers and children armed with paint and brushes, gardening tools or trash bags, embarking on a day of school beautification. Projects such as a $40,000 play structure were funded by the parent teacher association. A student garden is planted in the spring and harvest is donated to area food banks in the fall.

 There are also irreplaceable artistic endeavors created by the children in the many visual art classes available here. Art programs such as ceramics, painting, graphic arts, dance, drama and music, are funded by a yearly auction.

 A favorite artistic piece is a wall of ceramic tiles handmade by Summit students and placed together with love, which graces the playground.

 "We built this school" one desperate mother explained. The thought of someone taking away all that has been achieved tears at the heartstrings of these dedicated people.

 Another important issue is that a move would necessitate curriculum changes for many Summit classes and could affect some Nathan Hale students. Summit has integrated swimming classes into its physical education program. Several times each week neighbors watch orderly lines of elementary school children marching towards their weekly swimming classes at nearby Meadowbrook pool. This is an amazing opportunity for kids who may not have a place to swim otherwise.

 Summit K-12 and Nathan Hale High School (located across the street) also have a reciprocal agreement for high school students. Classes which are not offered at one school may be taken at the other with teacher's approval. Summit students may also try out for Nathan Hale sport teams which the smaller school does not have the resources to support on its own. Summit in turn opens its doors to Hale students who desire an advanced art program.

 At the meeting Principal Jennifer Wiley, explained a proposal that she and Superintendent Olchefske had been working on. They informed the anxious parents that opening more middle school classes at Summit could help solve neighborhood concerns about busing while keeping the character of the school intact.

 The school would add approximately 50 seats in each of the next three years. Then parents could use Summit School as their priority choice for 6th graders with a high probability of acceptance into the school. Summit parents seemed very approving of the idea and have high hopes that the administration will proceed with this plan which will benefit both the neighborhood and the Summit community.

 - BEVERLY NIELSEN, Pinehurst